The early to mid 1980s, was, on occasion, a fretful, threatening time. What with the tensions of the Cold War, the shadow of the Bomb, and the approach / arrival of ‘1984’ and its cultural significance, courtesy of George Orwell, these times gave rise to a strain of pop culture that only viewed the future through dusty aviator goggles. And looking through those goggles, all that lay ahead was desolation, deserts or neon-light vistas; a dystopia – a post apocalyptic future. Although these themes were expressed memorably at the movies (see Mad Max 2, Brazil), the ascent of music videos, with rising budgets to match their popularity as a medium, meant that these visions of the future could also be expressed in under 5 minutes. And that’s where Earth, Wind & Fire come in. Here is the video to ‘magnetic’, released in 1983, and a condensed look at what dystopia meant to superstars with a large budget making a music promo; Earth Wind & Fire – Magnetic Videoby PeteRock